Community members packed a public consultation May 16 on a new mixed-use development in Verdun, demanding answers on whether the project will include social housing.
After years of planning and community advocacy, the City of Montreal used its pre-emptive right to acquire one of the project lots for social housing in 2021. But the future of that housing has been up in the air since developer District Atwater filed a legal case against the city in 2022.
At last Thursday’s meeting, housing organizers said the community shouldn’t have to wait until the Dupuis-Hickson development is approved to know how much social housing there will be – and what went wrong in the city’s use of its right of first refusal.
The borough declined to comment when reached by CKUT, citing the ongoing litigation.
